Shimmer Blinkies!
First thing you will need to do is
create a NEW image. Any size will do but for this tutorial we are going
to do a 100 x 100 image for.. let's say a forum avatar..
Make sure your image type is 24 bit , background doesnt really matter, I
always use transparent but in this case it is not necessary :)
Select the color you would like to be the main color of your image as your
foreground color. I am using #925AA0.
Take your floodfill tool 
and floodfill your image
:)
Now at the top of PSP go into SELECTIONS and choose SELECT ALL.. You might
see some marching ants show up along the perimeter of your square :) Now
in SELECTIONS again, go down to MODIFY and from there, CONTRACT and set
it at 2. You can adjust this according to preference but you don't want
it too big or it loses the entire effect.. SO try to keep it around 2 for
larger images and 1 for your average size blinkies.. The marching ants should
be 2 pixels in along the perimeter of your image :)
Back into SELECTIONS choose INVERT. You might want to use your magnifier
to zoom in a bit at this point. Now take your
floodfil tool and using a darker color floodfill the selected area. I am
using this color #674571. I have hidden the marching ants below so you can
see the area that I have floodfilled without making it a larger image...
( To hide those marching ants that often get in your way while working with
selections, go into SELECTIONS and click on HIDE MARQUEE, click on it again
to bring them back.. )
Now, DO NOT deselect yet! What you need to do right now is go into LAYERS
at the top of PSP and choose NEW RASTER LAYER. Name it "dark glitter". Now
select a slightly lighter shade of the dark color you chose for your border.
I am using #764F85 Take your paintbrush tool, set at size 1, step 1 and
everything else at 100, build up tool UNCHECKED, and start scribbling upward
and downward across the top and bottom areas of your image. Then horizontally
across the right and left sides of your square.
At this point you may want to create a new image to keep a record of your
colors on for future reference..
I have included a very zoomed in screenshot of the upper left corner of
the image so you see my results a little better.
As you can see , it is a bit sloppy but that is what we are going for so
never fear! :) Now remember, we still have NOT deselected, I have just hidden
the marching ants. Add a NEW LAYER, name it "light glitter" and then select
a slightly brighter, lighter color and repeat the scribbling you did on
the dark glitter layer, only this time, try to make sure to fill in some
of the empty space you have leftover from the first scribbling :b I am using
#9A54B4
Add a new layer, name it "bright glitter". Select a MUCH lighter shade of
the color you are using and repeat the scribbling process, again trying
to fill in areas you may have missed before, but still leaving remnants
of the darkest color you first floodfilled with. I am using #BC95CB
Now go to SELECTIONS >> SELECT NONE. Add a new Layer and name it "center
image". Now you can put a doll in here, a title in here, a picture of yourself,
just make sure it is does not go over the border where your glitter effect
will be. This is what I am going for..
Now go into EDIT at the top of PSP and click on COPY MERGED. Open ANIMATION
SHOP. ( In PSP 7 you can go into FILE and JASC Software Products and find
it there. ) Now in ANIMATION SHOP, go into EDIT >> PASTE >> AS NEW ANIMATION.
